Kicking off this highly unusual collection of Italian music is "L'Italiano," whose contemporary arrangement veers dangerously close to Jamaican reggae. And if "Gloria" doesn't set sail on a sea of disco lights, then the Po... more »pe doesn't live in Rome. But the emphasis on pop settings over pizza parlor fare isn't too much of a departure from the "favorites" tag considering the influence of Neapolitan ballads and operatic arias on the early days of Tin Pan Alley. Fans of Italian music will still find plenty of traditional themes and melodies here and enough soaring emotion to satisfy the soul of Verdi. For lovely Italian songs more grounded in tradition, also look to the Putumayo label's Italian Music Odyssey anthology. For gritty street-corner folk music, check out the four titles released so far in Rounder Records' Italian Treasury series. --Bob Tarte« less
Kicking off this highly unusual collection of Italian music is "L'Italiano," whose contemporary arrangement veers dangerously close to Jamaican reggae. And if "Gloria" doesn't set sail on a sea of disco lights, then the Pope doesn't live in Rome. But the emphasis on pop settings over pizza parlor fare isn't too much of a departure from the "favorites" tag considering the influence of Neapolitan ballads and operatic arias on the early days of Tin Pan Alley. Fans of Italian music will still find plenty of traditional themes and melodies here and enough soaring emotion to satisfy the soul of Verdi. For lovely Italian songs more grounded in tradition, also look to the Putumayo label's Italian Music Odyssey anthology. For gritty street-corner folk music, check out the four titles released so far in Rounder Records' Italian Treasury series. --Bob Tarte
Angela N. (italia) from MONTGOMERY, IN Reviewed on 9/26/2006...
This two-disc set includes 40 Italian classics, from Arrividerci Roma to Santa Lucia. My Italian husband says the singers are not necessarily the ones who made the songs famous, but they are fine for a clueless American like me :-)
CD Reviews
Italian Favorites ? Maybe not for an Italian
Angelo Abruzzese | San Diego, California United States | 05/30/2002
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Well I own this album and can safely say I played it once and then put them away with a couple of other never to be played again cd's. I did not realize at first that these were cheesy imitations of the real thing. If you want Italian compilations put a little more money in and buy the original artists and songs."
I have usually found the "all the best of..." cd's to be "
Angelo Abruzzese | 07/22/2002
(1 out of 5 stars)
"a good start on world music, but I have to ask what the heck was on the Italy disc. I'm getting ready to major in Italian in college and was hoping to have some "theme" music for studying. Imagine my surprise when all but about 4 songs are horribly-made 80's imitations! I imagine this is an insult for people of Italian heritage, and it certainly is an earache for the rest of us! There is only about 4 (1 one of the new songs are semi-ok) songs I care for off the whole thing, and I just wasted 12 dollars of my weekly pay! They should have a warning on the label!"
Poor Imitations
Angelo Abruzzese | 08/17/2000
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Disappointing! These are not original recordings but poor imitations by lounge lizards. Don't waste you money."
Don't Bother
Angelo Abruzzese | 05/15/2002
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I would like to know what criteria is used to determine what songs are included on these "All the best from.." titles. As far as I'm concerned most of these songs don't even qualify for "good"! Most songs have folk or rock n roll rhythms with Italian words. Even the so called classics (O Sole Mio, Volare) leave a lot to be desired. Minimal use of accordions and mandolins but lots of guitar and piano.A much better choice is "La Musica from Italy""
Simply... All the Best From Italy!
Johnny Toscani | Chicago, IL USA | 07/07/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This compilation is a list of popular music that are indeed, the best from Italy. You have to realize that these songs/pieces are not Italian-American songs that many may assume; i.e. this is not a Ratpack CD. Instead, it is a CD compiled with numerous Italian folk songs in which I grew up listening. My Nonna (Grandma) is from Italy (Tuscany)and when I burned her a copy, she melted! She knew all of the tracks and loved how it took her back to her days in Lucca. She played the CD whenever she had free time up until her death.
A lot of the ratings on this page bash the CD because it has a relatively new recording style and was scored with modern day synthesizers and beat samplers. However, folk music is meant to be the sound from a particular region or culture. This CD encapsulates this sound in a modern form. Simply put, many folk songs from yesteryear were never ever recorded due to the given limitations. Furthermore, when searching the titles that are on the CD, I have only come up with this CD, which means that nobody else out there has really taken the time to capture the sound of Italy and record it. This is as good as it gets in the interim; and if people from Italy even know the tunes, what more can you ask for?
For those that criticized Canada and said "Where does it get off publishing Euro-Italian compilations, Canada actually has a strong Italian presence in Quebec and in Toronto (rightfully so since it is right above New York)!
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Angela N. (italia) from MONTGOMERY, IN